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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25993624">By the Fire</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mustachebabs/pseuds/Mustachebabs'>Mustachebabs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sleepaway 2020 Run [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sleepaway (Roleplaying Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Backstory, Bonfire, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 02:42:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>450</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25993624</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mustachebabs/pseuds/Mustachebabs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>To be Head Counselor, you don't also have to be Head Bitch, but Penelope is making a sport out of it.</p>
<p>cw: drowning mention</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sleepaway 2020 Run [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1886551</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Camp Howling Ground (Sleepaway 2020 campaign)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>By the Fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There’s a bonfire every night, camp wouldn’t be the same without one. </p>
<p>On full moons however, there’s also <em> s’mores </em>. </p>
<p>When Penelope was a camper, it felt like there was some wolf-related pun behind it. Now as a counselor, she knows it’s to avoid sugar-high campers running into the night too often. Either way, she’s just finished dishing out another tray of supplies when she sits down at the counselors’ bonfire.</p>
<p>“Heard you saved Evelyn from drowning at the lake this morning...” Penelope says as she stokes the fire’s logs idly.</p>
<p>Ash, who is sitting close by, looks up from her current whittling project. “Yeah… Said something bit her underwater, but I bet it was just a leg cramp from not limbering up...” </p>
<p>Penelope nods as she sits back and Ash starts to go back to whittling. A moment passes of just voices in the background and the crackling of the bonfire. </p>
<p>Ash is one of three remaining counselors from Penelope’s time as a camper. Her first year as a counselor is almost halfway done and Penelope still feels she hasn’t impressed them somehow. When Penelope had been introduced as a new counselor at the staff meeting, she’d thought Ash seemed cold now that they were colleagues. She’d even considered briefly that maybe Ash held it against her that Penelope had beat their climbing time for the Old Mountain, but maybe they were just different from each other. </p>
<p>At least, they felt different. Valentine and Penelope could say nothing to each other in a room and it felt fine. Even Sinclair, whom now as colleagues Penelope could appreciate a little more her endless enthusiasm, Penelope felt she got along with okay. She tried not to think too hard on it, but if she wanted to apply for head counselor in the future, Penelope <em> had </em> to get Ash on her side.</p>
<p>Penelope clears her throat after a moment.</p>
<p>“I’m not sure if you’ve seen tomorrow’s schedule yet, but I’m hosting a sunrise walk to the abandoned stone wall. Could use another counselor to run the program, you know, if you are interested.” Penelope adds a shrug for good measure.</p>
<p>Ash looks at her for a moment, a little intensely, Penelope chalks it up to the lightning. </p>
<p>“Sure, I’d be up to it.” Ash shrugs back, but theirs looks effortless, <em> easy-going </em>. </p>
<p>Penelope nods, unsure why she’s so tense all of a sudden. Counselors needed to organize a <b>minimum</b> number of programs, if anything she was doing Ash a <em> favor </em>. Yet, it feels like the opposite, so Penelope refrains from saying anything else to avoid any possible nerves showing through.</p>
<p>Silence falls between them again and Penelope eventually walks away without saying good night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Do you think Penelope is intimidated by Ash? I feel Penelope is DEFINITELY intimidated by Ash.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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